The Battle for Gerosha (novella)
The Battle for Gerosha is the name of two different works within Dozerfleet Comics. The first is a 2005 DSHW machinomic, making up the core of Gerosha Prime in the Gerosha multiverse. The second is Issue #9 of Origins and Fallout, the first volume of the Cataclysmic Gerosha version of The Gerosha Chronicles. Both versions are love / sci-fi / adventure tales about the exploits of Stan and Shalia Flippo, and their quest to reclaim their homes in southern Indiana from the Hebbleskin Gang. Since Gerosha Prime, The Battle for Gerosha has had a version of its events be cornerstone to every universe since: Despair Gerosha, Classic Gerosha, Comprehensive Gerosha, Cataclysmic Gerosha, etc. It is a foundation stone to The Gerosha Chronicles. Plot Young Stan and Shalia The story begins with young Shalia Hood jotting some notes down in her diary, revealing the history of her grandfather Sadasheeva Cherupara and grandmother Alexis Hood. She then talks about her mother's tragic encounter with the fugitive Dwayne Lloyd, and of what happened to Dwayne. She also remarks on what she'd like to see happen in the world, and on her thoughts of those who'd devalue her as a human being due to the nature of how she was conceived. She wonders if she'll ever meet a man who shares her concerns. She is then shown giving a piano concert at school, while an aged Marissa praises her for her performance. Meanwhile, Stan Flippo is frustrated when the doctors won't let him in to see his sick and dying mother in the hospital. Tobey tearfully says goodbye to Alison, as she passes away. He promises to enlighten Stan about the treasure of Lohtz, the Phaelite experiment, and more. Stan and Tobey end up burying Alison a week later, with Tobey being near-inconsolable. Stan promises to carry on what Tobey was doing, and to make something of himself. Tobey tells Stan that no matter what, he should always seek to find a woman that he can love, as Tobey loved Alison. Stan promises to consider it. Some time later, Stan and Shalia meet in the woods when Stan goes for a walk and Shalia is heading towards town. They are instantly fascinated with each other, and head to town together. They begin to see that the Hebbleskins are trying to establish a presence in Boonville, and that the FBI appears clueless what to do about it. As time goes by, Stan and Shalia begin to spend more time together. Townsfolk begin talking about them, considering it strange that Stan and "that black girl" would see anything in each other. Deaths of Tobey Flippo and Marissa Hood eating at Shalia and Marissa's house, courting Shalia while Marissa is amused.]] While going over his notes about Lohtz, Tobey finally solves the riddle of where the treasure is hidden. However, he dies of a heart attack. Stan attempts to call an ambulance, but it arrives too late. Marissa arrives at Stan's place with Shalia, and they are horrified to learn that Tobey is dead. They offer to give Stan shelter, but he refuses on the grounds that he doesn't want to appear to be cohabiting with Shalia. Marissa tries to blow that off, but Shalia decides to honor Stan's wishes. Marissa then sees that Stan and Shalia were meant to be together, and offers to help them get married. Little does she know that Hebbleskin spies arrive near the crime scene, disguised as cops and paramedics. They overhear whispers that Stan and Shalia are considering getting married, and are reminded of the "liPo" prophecy. They immediately go into panic mode, letting the new southern Indiana operations manager, Sgt. Luddin, know that a new Flippo family has come together. Rumors begin flying about a new Phaelite named Darius Philippine quickly becoming a hero among heroes in the US military. They note that some of Darius' facial sculpt vaguely resembles that of Stan, and spies confirm that Darius' mother was Insila Murtillo. Those same spies confirm that the baby whose DNA was used for creating Darius also was infused with "Grandma Centipede," allowing for one of his future children to possibly become a Centhuen Prototype. A "Gifted Flippo" from Stan and Shalia spelled trouble. Luddin tells his men to watch from a distance, in case anything interesting happens. Stan begins visiting Shalia frequently, and they plot out their goals of taking a trip to Florida to recover Lohtz's treasure. One evening though, Marissa has a stroke. Shalia panics, and calls Stan before calling 911. Stan tells her to hang up and call 911. Meanwhile, he runs to Shalia's as fast as he can. A Hebbleskin assassin tries to stop him, but he dodges the bullet fire. He manages to get the gun away from his would-be assassin, who then pulls out a knife. However, Stan tricks the Hebbleskin into falling on his own knife. Stan leaves the corpse behind, still managing to arrive at Shalia's before the ambulance can get there. Shalia then informs Stan that 911 decided to hang up on her. At one point, a creepy voice asked if "Mrs. Flippo" was the one who called. Stan and Shalia realize that there is little they can do, except to flee town. The Hebbleskins arrive instead of an ambulance, but Stan and Shalia hide in the forest. They claim Marissa's head as a trophy, after confirming her to be dead. A horrified Stan and Shalia all the same nab Tobey's car, using it to drive out of town before being noticed. Recovering Lohtz's treasure reassures Stan that they will find Lohtz's treasure. Original quality wallpaper here.]] They sell several of Tobey's possessions in exchange for the money needed to make a trip to Florida. They then head straight for the beach where Lohtz was believed to have landed when he found the Gerosha Stone. The treasure they find, much to their shock, proves to be worth a trillion US dollars. They immediately begin plans to one day build the Triangulum, a triangular house that could double as a museum for Boonville upon Stan and Shalia's deaths. Stan shares with Shalia that if Boonville ever falls to the Hebbleskins, he'll help rebuild it in the form of Gerosha - which will be named after Lohtz's seashell. Stan and Shalia married Stan and Shalia return to Boonville with a bodyguard named Justin Tandem, whom they recruit in the nick of time as he begin falling apart after his divorce. He helps them keep secret where their most priceless recovered treasures are stored. Meanwhile, he also helps them connect with jewelers who will let them show off their least valuable gem findings as a smokescreen for their real treasures. A plot of land is declared for where the Triangulum will one day be built - once the necessarily materials arrive and all other required legal clearances are in place. The military sends young recruits Darius Philippine and Mitch Brandel into the Boonville area to keep tabs on any Hebbleskin activity. However, they miss the secret connection: police chief Franklin Smonds. Stan immediately tries out for the minor leagues, and gets a deal to begin his baseball career. It doesn't take long before Shalia reveals to Stan that she's pregnant. Reily Flippo is born, and the years pass quickly. Reily grows up to develop an affinity for cooking. Shalia enters the political sphere in Boonville, and believes that the couple will begin achieving their dreams any day. The raid However, Sgt. Luddin and Fantisk Hebbleskin decide the time is ripe to launch their plan. They send in their forces to ravage the town in a coup. Stan and Shalia are forced to flee the town once more, but are unable to save Reily. Reily ends up being captured by the Hebbleskins, who search his DNA for any signs of being a Centhuen Prototype. When none are found, they're about to dispose of him. However, he is rescued by Darius Philippine. Darius and Reily also end up saving Erin Wyer, whose parents Geoffrey and Patricia Wyer have already been murdered by Hebbleskin thugs. Stan and Shalia are among those who get scattered when a Meethlite dome is formed over Boonville, making it hard for anyone to get in or out. They end up separated, with Shalia and her friend Trina Domingo being captured inside the dome and Stan trapped outside of it. Sgt. Luddin and Franklin Smond take matters into their own hands to establish a local Hebbleskin nation in Boonville. Fantisk, the second-in-command, becomes a sort of enforcer, and overseer of Meethlite science in town. He abducts Janette Edwards, placing a primitive version of an AI backvisor on her with "rabbit ears." She is turned into "Jeanette the Bunny," a near-mindless assassin who kills whomever she's instructed to. When officer Lionel Sanchez learns that his fiancee Trina and daughter Amelia are among those thrown in prison, he protests. He is forced into hiding, his job as an officer having been stripped from him for objecting to the new order. Fantisk sends Jeanette to hunt him down. However, he manages to free Trina and Shalia right before both were scheduled to be beheaded. Lionel, Trina, Amelia, and Shalia begin recruiting a resistance force from within Boonville, in the hopes of reclaiming it from the Hebbleskins' control. The resistance Fantisk suspect that a resistance is about to form, so he kills suspected resistance member Vanna Kassan after breaking into her house. He takes Vanna's foster daughter, Jessie Menrez, as a hostage. Darius sends Mitch into town incognito, using a fake-out to give Mitch time to get in. Once in, Mitch makes it his goal to infiltrate the demoralized masses and seek out resistance members remaining. Mitch takes out Franklin Smonds and a corrupt cop named Angie Schneider. He runs into conflict with Jeanette, but manages to free her from the AI and win her over to the resistance. He discovers that the escaped Shalia was about to be captured by Frank and Angie, so he instead has her come with him. He arranged for her to escape, while he stays behind with the inside resistance to organize a military operation. Shalia on the outside is reunited with Stan and Reily, and then meets Erin. Stan and Shalia both are so impressed with Erin, that they decide to adopt her. When Lionel and Mitch synchronize an assault on the dome's power base from inside. Darius follows that up with an attack on its external core. The dome is destroyed, and the National Guard sends in an air raid over Boonville. The Hebbleskins scatter, and only a few of them escape to regroup with Hebbleskins outside of southern Indiana. Word gets out to Fantisk's younger cousin, Duke Arfaas. Arfaas vows to have the heads of all of Shalia's future daughters' heads as trophies, whether the "Gifted Flippo" interpretation of "liPo" prophecy is true or not. The final battle Shalia points out to Stan that Boonville is being destroyed to purge it of the Hebbleskins' evil. Stan decides to march in with Darius and the National Guard to reclaim it anyway, saying: "Then let it be said. This day, when Boonville died, is the birth of a new city! This is...the Battle...for Gerosha!!!" As the Hebbleskins' forces - Meethlite, AI-controlled, and corrupt cop - all begin dying like flies, Fantisk flees with his prisoner into an iron smelting factory. Mitch gives chase. Fantisk expects Mitch to pause when he points out that he his holding Jessie hostage. However, Mitch continues on with their shootout melee until both run out of bullets. An impatient Fantisk throws Jessie into the molten iron, taunting Mitch for not saving her. Mitch fires back that Fantisk didn't either. Right then, Mitch suddenly runs away. Fantisk looks confused, waving his sword in the air and daring Mitch to come back and keep fighting. But as he's delivering a speech, a missile comes down on the factory and blows Fantisk to smithereens. He dies mid-sentence. Building Gerosha The heroes celebrate their victory starting with Lionel and Trina getting married. Stan and Shalia then get the clear to have the town officially renamed Gerosha. Some of the massive Flippo fortune is given towards helping build Gerosha atop the ruins of Boonville. Stan and Shalia formalize their adoption of Erin, and construction officially begins on the Triangulum. Amidst Gerosha coming to life, Reily meets a woman who shares his passion for cooking - named Ashlee Kornsdall. It becomes obvious to Stan and Shalia that they will one day marry. Meanwhile, Darius sets up a base of operations in Evansville, not far from Gerosha. One of the resistance members that Shalia befriended, Imaki Izuki, promises to stay close. Mitch Brandel moves to the Gerosha area, retiring from military work and going into construction. By the end of 1993, the Flippos are able to move into the Triangulum, their happy home. Several replicas have been made of the Gerosha Stone, making it difficult for the Hebbleskins to ever steal the real one. Aftermath Reily and Ashlee do eventually get married. And while Stan and Shalia once stated "always live a little beneath your means," Reily saw the Triangulum's luxuries and decided not to take the motto seriously. He ends up getting a cooking show, along with his wife Ashlee. Together, Reily and Ashlee have a son named Kirby. It isn't long after Kirby's birth that Shalia reveals to Stan that she's pregnant again - with triplets. News comes back that one of the triplets is a little different from the others. Phaelite scientists under Darius' command confirm that one of the triplets is a Centhuen Prototype. Stan, Shalia, Reily, and Erin all know this could be good or bad. On September 9th of 1999, the triplets are born. The special one is named Candice Marie, or "Candi" for short. The other two are named Miriam and Marina. Seven more years of happiness go by with the Flippo family. However, shortly after Candi, Miriam, and Marina turn 7 in the year 2006, a very young Gunner Soorfelt of the Hebbleskin Gang teams up with his mentor to run Stan and Shalia off the road. Their murder causes fear to rise in Gerosha of an imminent return the Hebbleskin Gang. With Stan and Shalia gone, outside cultural rot sees an opportunity to creep in, strengthening the Hebbleskins as Gerosha becomes as corrupt as every other town around it. Originally promising to take care of his younger sisters in the event of a tragedy, Reily reneges on his promise so that he and Ashlee can have the Triangulum mostly to themselves, while traveling the world and operating their cooking show devoid of the distraction of three young girls. Imaki became Candi's godfather shortly after her birth, seeing his place with the Phaelites as giving him a special place in Candi's life. Due to this, he and a now-grown Erin decide to get joint custody of Candi. Erin is given full custody of Miriam and Marina, and the girls struggle to find their place in the world that has become a darker place with their parents gone. Events leading to Sodality See also: ''Sodality'' Ever since its 2005 incarnation, The Battle for Gerosha has been the centerpiece of all Gerosha mythos. It became the single most important event bringing all of Gerosha mythos together. Everything happening before was mere buildup to it. Everything happening after was merely consequential of it. As of Cataclysmic Gerosha, it's established that the Flippo girls go on to attend Gerosha High. However, the climate in town changes radically. Due to peer pressure, the girls begin making some poor choices. They also find the overall climate to be growing increasingly sexualized and hostile. At the age of 12, both Candi and Marina are raped. Candi by Don the Psycho, and Marina by a classmate named Fred. Both girls are traumatized as a result, but react differently. Candi's desire to avenge herself and others from men like Don becomes a strong motivation towards her becoming Ciem, along with her desire to rid the world of the Hebbleskins that murdered her parents. It is around this time she develops her abilities. She tries to remain the overall most conservative of the Flippo girls, though a classmate named Daniel Levarn does try to seduce her at one point. However, his efforts are frustrated when a shootout occurs in his family's house. After that, Candi figures out his game, and helps him to disappear rather than give him what he initially wanted. Marina reacts by trying to find a man who will love her for real, though she ends up looking in all the wrong places. She quickly grows a reputation as a promiscuous girl, as one boy after another ends up taking advantage of her. As the boys grow confused, Candi and Miriam end up taking the fall for some of Marina's poor choices as far as the social climate at school goes. Erin starts to develop bi-polar disorder, and needs medication. During this time, Candi ends up living less with her sisters and more with Imaki. The nation begins falling apart, and eventually crumbles into four parts. Reily, Ashlee, and Kirby are all murdered. The Ameristani regime takes hold, and makes the Triangulum a property of the state. Most of Gerosha is reduced to rubble, along with most of the state of Indiana. Miriam and Phil Couric end up in a relationship with one another, aiming to get married. Candi's efforts to save Erin fail miserably, forcing her to live with Imaki full time. She ends up in a relationship with Donte McArthur. Marina ends up pregnant by way of Matthew Baret. The two marry, and have their son Andy Baret. They flee into exile as soon as they get the chance. The stage is set for Sodality, especially when Gunner Soorfelt and Don the Psycho resurface. Characters Flippo patriarchs and matriarchs * Sadasheeva Cherupara: Shalia's grandfather. He is an Indian with some Persian lineage. His being murdered by the Thuggee cult leads to Alexis returning to live in Indiana, and to raise Marissa alone. * Alexis Hood: Shalia's grandmother. She raised Marissa up to be near-identical to herself in many respects. However, Marissa never finds a man like Sadasheeva. Alexis dies before getting to see Marissa conceive Shalia. * Dwayne Lloyd: A horrific mute serial rapist that finds his way to Marissa's home. He becomes the father of Shalia. * Marissa Hood: Shalia's mother. Marissa doesn't live to see Stan and Shalia get married, though she pressured them to consider it - especially after Tobey dies. * Tobey Flippo: Stan's adoptive father. He rescued Stan's mother Alison from the cruel and abusive Steve McNolan in When Tobey Met Alison. Before that, he and Det. Fred Thernip fought in WWII alongside Centipede Charlie, Becky Ryba, Anarteq, and Arrowfrog in Experiments and Offspring. He has instilled in Stan a strong desire to find the lost treasure of Henry Lohtz. He is considerably older at this point, and his health is fading. * Alison Flippo: Stan's mother. Her sacrifices to keep Stan safe made her a target of the Hebbleskin Gang. However, she had to make the horrible choice of letting Stan be experimented on by the Phaelites. As a result, one of Stan's children could become a Centhuen Prototype. As this story opens, she is dying in the hospital. Her death inspires Tobey to bestow in Stan a desire to find a woman worthy of the Flippo cause. Heroes * Stan Flippo: The adopted son of Tobey Flippo and biological son of Alison Ligash, also the biological son of minor league baseball player Steve McNolan. Stan believes that he should strive to be valuable to God at all times if at all possible. But he doesn't see himself becoming a minister, as his mother hoped for. Rather, he wants his everyday life character to be his testimony. He develops a passion for minor-league baseball, as his biological father once had. He also wants to be the family man that Tobey never got to be. On top of all that, he shares Tobey's passions to rid the world of the Hebbleskin Gang, and to find the treasures of Henry Lohtz. He never expects that the riches he'll find even before finding Lohtz's treasure will make him feel like one of the richest men alive. Unfortunately, his successes earn him a multitude of enemies to overcome. * Shalia Flippo: The daughter of Marissa Hood and a serial rapist named Dwayne Lloyd. Rising from humble beginnings in the forests outside of Boonville, she is very patriotic. She believes she can bring about godly change through the roles she seeks to acquire in local-area politics. Stan provides her both a loving home to turn to, and a financial fallback system to fund her political activities. She shares Stan's passion for a world without the Hebbleskins' evil. However, she does not expect that saving her home from them would be so perilous. * Reily Flippo: Stan and Shalia's culinary-oriented son. He has little idea that he will one day have his own cooking show, or that his hometown will become a battleground. * Erin Wyer: The orphan daughter of Geoffrey and Patricia Wyer. When her parents resisted the Hebbleskins' hostile takeover of Boonville, they were murdered in keeping with Decolarent eam, eviscerate eum. Darius rescues her before she is also subjected to that treatment. While she does have some mild issues, she is very sweet at first. She ends up being adopted by Stan and Shalia. Upon their deaths, she becomes the custodian of Candi, Miriam, and Marina. She shares custody of Candi with Imaki Izuki. * Darius Philippine: A half-Phaelite, made from a mixture of pure Phaelite and DNA stolen from the baby Stan Flippo. His mother was Insila Murtillo. Some time during the battle, he meets his future wife from among the grunt soldiers. * Mitch Brandel: Former Marine Green Baret. He is later was assigned to do mercenary work for the Phaelites. He is called in to investigate the activities going on in Boonville, but finds himself in a quite a bit of an adventure along the way. Rumors of his presence spread to the Hebbleskins, who know him only as "The Major." * Justin Tandem: Stan and Shalia's initial bodyguard, and a keeper of their treasure-related secrets. * Amelia Sanchez: The daughter of Lionel Sanchez and Trina Domingo. Franklin uses her to threaten Trina with. * Trina Domingo: The eventual wife of Lionel Sanchez, an officer in town in Boonville. Having lived a rough life on the streets, she was all too eager to get involved with Lionel in the hopes of a better life. However, she ends up getting pregnant by him. She becomes close friends with Shalia, who helped her get her life on the right track. Shalia helps Trina find a church home, which helps her even more. And Trina returns the favor by helping Shalia claim Gerosha from the Hebbleskins. * Lionel Sanchez: Trina's fiance. He goes along with the Hebbleskin's takeover, though he is suspicious something isn't right with police chief Franklin Smonds. However, when Trina is sentenced to beheading without a trial, he knows something's off and defects to the heroes' side. Villains * Sgt. Luddin: Boss of the Hebbleskin division that has managed to acquire control over Boonville. He is power-hungry and is not afraid to execute prisoners on a whim the moment he fears a loss of control. * Fantisk Hebbleskin: The arrogant older cousin of Duke Arfaas, who is set to take control of all Hebbleskin Gang operations worldwide. He murders on a whim, and wears a red samurai outfit often. He finds it amusing that so many refer to him as a devil incarnate. * Angie Schneider: A corrupt cop working for Franklin. She pretends to be nice, but has similar goals in the end to her boss. * Franklin Smonds: A corrupt police chief so evil and so easily seduced and deceived by the Hebbleskins that mind control is unnecessary. * Janette "the Bunny" Edwards: A performer who ends up being turned into an AI backvisor-controlled assassin. Others * Ashlee Korndall: Reily's future wife. * Vanna Kassan: An outspoken critic of Shalia's political enemies, and suspected the Hebbleskins' plans all along. She was Jessie's legal guardian, and did her best to raise Jessie like a mother would. While she and Jessie had their disagreements, the two of them generally got along well. Fantisk assassinates her to make an example of her to other dissidents. * Jessie Menrez: A foster child in Vanna's care. She ends up being taken hostage by Fantisk. * Kirby Flippo: Reily and Ashlee's son, who shares their passion for cooking. Development Webcomic production Early inspiration The Battle for Gerosha was initially an experiment in what all could be done with The Sims 2, as a way to later get back to 90 Has No Secant and its sequels. The goal was initially to come up with a powerful concept art and storyboarding sequence that could map out what happened in stories, making it easier to write them with a ready-at-hand visual reference for every important scene. This was also to ensure that what was committed to the books could be easily translated into a graphic novel - or even screen directions for a film adaptation, with that always being the end goal. In December of 2004 the Dozerfleet founder invested in a copy of The Sims Deluxe, believing it would help design a version of the Rintel family's house. The house model was pretty effective, but character designs were limited. Towards the end of April, after having been introduced to Rooster Teeth's The Strangerhood, the Dozerfleet founder was hooked on what The Sims 2 could do - and wanted a piece of the action. Later on, discovery of Red vs. Blue inspired some of the humor in When Bikes Argue and When Bikes Argue 2. Another test run in January of 2005 included experimentation with a Stan Flippo, originally a blond man with a mustache and an athletic outfit. He was a baseball player, and lived in a house with some triangular parts to it. Not far away was a family called the "Hood" family, that lived in the city park. Marissa Hood was the grand matriarch, and lived in the city park with Jabal, Shalia, and two other sons. The sons eventually got involved in crime in the Sim neighborhood, and Marissa at one point dies of grief. Her sons' criminal behavior led to her being cranky, even with Shalia. When Stan decided to marry Shalia, it was her redemption from a life on the streets. They immediately had a child named Reily. Proto Gerosha This test run became "Proto Gerosha," one of the first times an unofficial Gerosha universe had ever been attempted. Hyper-Uber-Proto Gerosha preceded in 2001, with a rough draft for what would later become The Gray Champion: Freedom's Apparition. Uber-Proto Gerosha is described as being the initial drafts of the Meshalutian Trilogy. In the spring semester of 2005, the Dozerfleet founder was enrolled in a CITW 150 class at LCC, which was about Internet literacy. Building a simple HTML page website became the final class project, and a Cormorant Entertainment-themed website became the focus. Success with this led to a strong desire to want to learn more web skills. Also, lack of an Internet connection at home meant little hope in uploading test runs to The Sims 2 Story Exchange. Therefore, the DSHW format was born out of necessity to accommodate that. Plans were to release a story about Stan and Shalia to the Freeservers account where the Dozerfleet founder was already hosting Gored By Them Things, which would later be pulled. In May of 2005, the Dozerfleet founder finally purchased a copy of The Sims 2. Test Gerosha Main article: Test Gerosha The very first attempt at making Stan and Shalia proved to be a difficult run at trying to master the game's mechanics, which were very different from those of The Sims Deluxe. It also showcased the limitations of hardware being employed, since the machine in use could barely render a lot of those graphics which were in play. However, Proto Gerosha did accomplish some feats successfully. It was decided that a love story between Stan and Shalia needed to start with them in their teenage years, then move onward from there. Cranky Marissa was replaced with a very sweet-hearted Marissa, whose backstory was changed significantly. Instead of a cantankerous old woman who had numerous illegitimate children by a deadbeat dad, she was a sweet woman who was slightly brokenhearted that her man wouldn't marry her, and that he was a criminal who abandoned her and their daughter. Jabal and the other boys ceased to exist, with Shalia Hood being an only child. It wasn't until just before Comprehensive Gerosha that Sadasheeva Cherupara and Alexis Hood were even factored into the equation. Stan was given a father - Tobey Flippo, named after Tobey Maguire. The goal was to have Tobey and Marissa both die, then use one lot as two and tell the tale of how Stan and Shalia became next door neighbors that fell in love. Gerosha Prime See also: Gerosha Prime The second run at Stan and Shalia's life proved to be the first successful take at creating a tale. It was a frustrated and unfocused tale at first, not introducing its real villains until almost the third act. There was a subplot about how Stan was framed for wardrobe theft, but that plot went nowhere. There was also a subplot about how a maid named Arianna Triste was trying to perform a bed trick on Stan in order to destroy Stan and Shalia's marriage. However, she is then attacked by killer bees. Her death is somehow ruled a homicide, and that became a basis for introducing the Hebbleskins. Once they were introduced, however, the story took a sharp turn from romance to sci-fi, with little balance for the transition. There were a lot of ideas toyed with in Gerosha Prime that would be abandoned or revised in later continuities. One of these was Darius Philippine. He originally went by his proper name of Ploribus, changing his name to Darius only in later versions to appear more human. Ploribus/Darius has an origin story that tries to scrub away the "alien pregnancy" game mechanic that was the real reason for his existence. Stan at that point was being used as an experiment to test out the game's mechanics of alien abduction. Since Erin's original surname of Winston became buried in the records, she was given a birth name of Erin Wyer in every continuity after Gerosha Prime. Therefore, Geoffrey and Patricia only have the last name of Winston in Gerosha Prime. Dr. Spinwords, a quack hired by the Hebbleskins to demoralize their opposition, was viewed as a sort of throwaway joke in reference to Pilgrim's Progress. He allowed for use of the therapist NPC, another way of getting familiar with game mechanics. His stated goal in-story was to break Shalia's spirit and convince her to give up on Stan coming to her rescue. As the plot was revised for later continuities, he was removed entirely from existence. The fictional town of Craterville was developed as a part of a rush job. Southern Indiana was chosen because the base neighborhood file in use seemed to make sense happening there. Only much later on was Gerosha stated to be Boonville. The big city south of it was named Dirbine, which later was revealed to be Evansville. Geography was yet another major issue with early Gerosha attempts. Jason, Tanya, Mike, and Jeff Flippo were among the many additional children of Stan and Shalia that are not found in modern versions. Tom Flippo, who is featured briefly in Classic Gerosha stories like Ciem, was originally named Vince Flippo. The goal in all this was to fulfill Stan's desire to have ten children, to see what would happen. The game decided that Erin didn't count. Reily counted as one. Jason, Tanya, Mike, Jeff, Tom, Candice, Miriam, and Marina were all created in the hopes of achieving that end. However, the game decided that Ploribus didn't count, since Shalia didn't give birth to him. When Stan's wish didn't trigger an aspiration reward, the Dozerfleet founder gave up. Ciem Prime The Ciem franchise began its life as a spin-off of 2005's Battle for Gerosha, which the work came to be called after the adventures of Mitch Brandel temporarily hogged the spotlight from the Stan-Shalia romance. Out of all of Stan and Shalia's children, Candi was randomly decided to be the new protagonist. Stan and Shalia both died of cancer in this version, leading to Candi living with Dominick and Tracy McAuley. When word spread that Erin had been murdered, Candi decided to leave town for good. She ends up married to Denny Levens, and stays with him until he ends up being captured and turned into the evil Dr. Leone. Donte, whose original last name was Williams, arrived and became a secondary love interest to compete for Candi's affections while she tried to figure out if her husband was still alive or not. The September 2005 version of Ciem 2 shows Dr. Leone being murdered by Captain Aardwulf, giving Candi the clear to marry Donte if she chooses. The formula would end up being tweaked endlessly, to the point that by the time Sodality was formulated in late 2012, there were questions on whether or not Denny even needed to exist in the story at all. Failed reboots It became obvious by the end of Ciem 3 that the entirety of Gerosha Prime was too filled with serious issues to be continued. Despair Gerosha, which took Candi's life in Ciem down a much-more-depressing set of twists and turns, was going to wipe 2005's slate clean and produce a 2006-era continuity that would allow The Battle for Gerosha to clean up its mistakes. A version of Ciem 3 that did not rely on references to Arrendale Heights was also desired. In 2006, Path of the Ming-Cho was created as a proposed interquel between Ciem 2 and Ciem 3. However, Sims 2 work was abandoned until the Dozerfleet founder could get a machine with more processing power. That time when production on Despair Gerosha ceased became a time when many Ferris-related projects were given much more attention. These projects included "Defining 'Jump the Shark'," "DNA Homology: When 1% Discrepancy is Way Too Much", "The Stoplight System is Dead," "The Rock Café vs. Center Ice," "The Great Broken Glass Laundry Caper," "Introducing: The Movlune Lava Clock," "Snakes on a Marketing Strategy," "Facebook vs. MySpace," "Man and Dinosaur," and "Santa: A Feasibility Study." In January of 2007, Classic Gerosha was established around the same time that DozerfleetWiki went online for the first time ever - on Wikispaces. The 2007 version of Ciem kick-started breathing new life into Gerosha continuity. Denny was never Dr. Leone this time around. Like in Despair Gerosha, he is murdered outright. L1 the Llama was replaced entirely with Musaran, with Dolly's having been S1 the Bunny only alluded to but not shown. Plans were to finish Ciem, remake Ciem 2 and Ciem 3, then go back and make The Battle for Gerosha as a prequel. The last work would be Path of the Ming-Cho, tying together the base Gerosha Chronicles as one. The Meshalutian Trilogy was going to be acknowledged as canon in Classic Gerosha, along with Grillitan Diner and elements of the Volkonir universe. All of that came crashing down in late 2009 and 2010, when a film called The Human Centipede became public knowledge. Ciem was originally going to be subtitled Ciem: The Human Centipede. The subtitle was a play on "the Human Spider," what Tobey Maguire first referred to his version of Spider-Man as in the 2002 Spider-Man film. Tom Six's movie permanently altered what the public thought a human centipede was, giving it a radically different definition from "Centhuen Prototype." Also in 2009, the Dozerfleet founder had to overcome non-alcoholic liver disease. This major setback led to cancellation of Ciem 2 and Ciem 3, and eventual abandoning of Classic Gerosha entirely. Comprehensive Gerosha was formally defined in 2010, with several changes. For-profit books became the focus, as opposed to free-for-view webcomics. Screen capture As The Battle for Gerosha in 2005 was a very primitive early effort at DSHW, formalized standards were not yet in place for it. Camera direction was placed wherever convenient, rather than aiming for a specific locale to achieve a certain effect in screenshot. Pictures were taken at the standard resolution in-game of 600x450, slightly less than standard definition television. Most images were scaled down to 300x225, under the belief that the story would be hosted on the same Freeservers account as Gored By Them Things. This reduced all images to glorified thumbnails of themselves, but was critical at the time for bandwidth reasons. When Freeservers was abandoned, the push began to explore higher and higher resolutions for display. Another trend with Battle was the use of the game's "C" button for screen capture. Assignment of confusing XML-ready names for images made it extremely difficult to organize for DSHW. Also, images were saved with "clever" names, rather than sequential numbers. All of these issues prompted production of Ciem to formalize production standards, to ensure less chaos in production. Also, use of the "C" button led to significant artifacts in JPEG files, requiring scale-downs to deal with the issue. The "C" button method would later be retired before preliminary production began on the 2009 version of Ciem 2. Distribution The second attempt at making a Cormorant Entertainment website proved successful, even though it only lasted a few months. It was to this domain that the 2005 Battle for Gerosha was uploaded, along with 2005 Ciem and Ciem 3: Curse of the Millipede. The whole enterprise was removed in May of 2006, with the way cleared for a reboot. September 2005's Ciem 2 was not included, since the DSHW pages for it were never finished. Since that removal, the webcomic was sent into archival at Dozerfleet Labs. Plans for the novella reboot remain in storage at Dozerfleet Literature. Novella In October of 2010, when Comprehensive Gerosha was being drafted, it was decided that a lot of events referenced in The Battle for Gerosha and Ciem needed some more explanation for their origins to make sense. Where did the Meethlite civilization come from? The Hebbleskins? Why were they after the Flippos so badly? Why was Lord Zeras really so important? A whole slew of questions demanded to be answered, leading to the drafting of plans for what would become Origins and Fallout. The Tragedy of Lord Zeras was drafted after it became obvious that Ciem: Vigilante Centipede didn't have enough time to focus and cram Zeras' entire story into one chapter of another character's book. From there, First Meethlites and Rise of the Phaelites became an explanation of where the aliens in The Battle for Gerosha got their organizations and appearances from. What is Nin-Chyo? became a prequel to Path of the Ming-Cho, to help give some features unique to that story a backdrop. Experiments and Offspring and When Tobey Met Alison were then proposed as filler to explain the origins of Tobey and Stan Flippo in more detail, so the beginning of The Battle for Gerosha could focus more on Shalia. Several details were changed for Battle with each incarnation of Gerosha mythos. In Despair Gerosha, Candi and Donte had always known each other. Miriam's "Sniperbadger" persona is given more to do. Marina is defined as having married Matt and moved away. Jason and Tanya were the first to be exiled from continuity, as they did absolutely nothing in the story prior. Vince's name was changed to Tom. Imaki was given a reduced role. Classic Gerosha Ciem resulted in more changes. Imaki became even less involved, and a bit of a jerk. Miriam's identity became more sculpted, along with Steve's. Tom Flippo got an actual speaking role. Mike and Jeff were alluded to, but never did anything. Comprehensive Gerosha, where a novel reboot of The Battle for Gerosha was first proposed, narrowed the pool even further. Mike, Jeff, and Tom ceased to exist entirely. Imaki was given a more involved role, but was also made clueless about some of the complications in Candi's life. He became a sort of happy, chubby, Santa Claus-like figure. When Jack laid the sexual pressure on Candi, Imaki looked the other way. For the Cataclysmic Gerosha mythos, drafts for The Battle for Gerosha remained mostly identical to Comprehensive Gerosha, save for Imaki being characterized as more aware of things and a tiny bit stricter with Candi. Since Jack is not a part of the scene right away in Candi's life in Sodality, the dynamic by which Jack uses Imaki as a tool to play Candi is absent. Imaki is able to (mostly) keep Candi and Donte chaste. That Donte is more strong-willed in Cataclysmic Gerosha than his Comprehensive counterpart also helps, as does the fact that Candi's Comprehensive Gerosha nymphomania is downplayed considerably in this version - though her lack of self-confidence and general codependency remain intact as character flaws. In February of 2013, concept art was drafted for what Cataclysmic Gerosha versions of Battle for Gerosha characters would look like. That concept art was uploaded to DeviantArt. Like most of the Origins and Fallout volume, Battle for Gerosha was shelved for writing and production in March of 2013. Stationery Voyagers was also officially shelved. This was to make way for more emphasis on the Gerosha Legends Pack; particularly Sorbet and Blood Over Water, the latter of which was considering a remake specifically for Cataclysmic Gerosha. The Triangulum Main article: Triangulum Triangulum.]] The Triangulum was a structure that was initially attempted for a family in the same neighborhood as Stan and Shalia's in Uber-Proto-Gerosha to live in. The structure was a tad bit of an actual triangle, though it was made with the hypotenuse facing the front. It was possible for a family to live in it, but limited by the game engine for Sims Deluxe. A second Triangulum was constructed for Gerosha Prime, and described for the first time ever as "the house that Stan and Shalia built." They were originally buried near the Triangulum, before story revisions had them buried at the Gerosha Cemetery. The second Triangulum was not very triangular, nor was it entirely all that spectacular. By Cataclysmic Gerosha, several changes were in place. Much more powerful equipment was employed for the concept art, allowing for The Sims 3: Pets to be used instead of The Sims 2 in generating a Triangulum. This new version was not only more triangular, but also littered with various landmark-worthy bells and whistles enough to make it double as a museum. Plans even began to form of a ranch version of the Triangulum, to be built by Candi and Donte some time after season 4 of Sodality. It'd be more wooden, unlike the silvery appearance of Stan and Shalia's Triangulum. Early on in Despair Gerosha continuity planning, it was decided that Reily and Ashlee moved into the Triangulum following Stan and Shalia's deaths. Therefore, the structure is associated with Reily and Ashlee every bit as much as with Stan and Shalia. Sodality, being a large-scale drama tying all of the Gerosha universe together, would be able to pursue in flashback episodes a lot more details about the Triangulum as a house, and the exploits of its residents. Ciem: Vigilante Centipede wanted to do this as well, but was unable to devote much time to it due to the heavy emphasis on a Candi-centric biography. Logo evolution .]] As The Battle for Gerosha was first written in May of 2005, it was written before there was a Gerosha Stone. In fact, there was no certainty when it was first written that there'd be an actual battle. That happened later on, as the story was begging for a real conflict and a real antagonist. Originally, the story was an unnamed overview of how Stan and Shalia fell in love. However, its Ciem spin-offs would grow and grow, along with Path of the Ming-Cho as a side-quest related to Ciem 2. The five stories became the original lineup of The Gerosha Chronicles. Gerosha continuity proved powerful enough to incorporate various other Dozerfleet properties, leading to the Gerosha Legends Pack becoming a part of the mythos. First to be included was a reinterpretation of the Gray Champion, based on a short story and sketch that the Dozerfleet founder had come up with in late 2001 for a high school class assignment that involved writing a sequel to Hawthorne's original. Eventually, Extirpon and Navyrope would be added to that lineup. In 2010, that would include Pilltar. Volkonir was considered for inclusion also, but later dropped. The Meshalutian Trilogy seemed a natural fit for inclusion in Gerosha continuity also. However, that decision was later reversed in 2012. The original name of "Gerosha" came from combining kerosene with Kenosha and Genosha. As such, Ge''r''osha should not be confused with Marvel's Ge''n''osha. Phexos are created in Ge''r''osha, but are not necessarily enslaved. Meethexos aren't either, though they tend to be brainwashed into Hebbleskin propaganda from an early age. It is also revealed that Gerosha is not the epicenter of the Phaelite-Hebbleskin conflict. Rather, Evansville is that epicenter. Ge''n''osha is described as an island in the Marvel universe, where slavery is quite common. The city of Gerosha was initially listed as some new city out of nowhere. It was later retconned to have been built atop the ruins of Boonville. What made the Gerosha "G" truly iconic was when the Dozerfleet founder and some members of his family took a trip to Florida in December of 2007. They arrived at Cocoa Beach a few days later, in January of 2008. As the Dozerfleet founder was sifting through seashells on the beach, he came across what appeared to be the top half of a scallop shell. A letter "G" appeared to have been carved into it, most likely by a lightning whelk. Several tiny holes in the specimen revealed that several oyster drills had also made attempts on its life. In order for the seashell explanation for Gerosha's namesake to make sense, the Gerosha Stone was retconned into Gerosha continuity almost immediately after the find had been made. Both The Battle for Gerosha and Wealth of a Seashell incorporated the seashell into their designs. Henry Lohtz's entire life history was written entirely to provide an in-universe justification for Stan's discovery of pirate treasure including that seashell. Not only the seashell, but particularly its whelk-carved letter "G," became a critical part of Gerosha marketing from that point onward. Since there was no seashell find in 2005, other explanations had to be offered for where the Flippos got their wealth from. Also, the original Battle for Gerosha logo contained a "pain mesh" of Jessie Menrez mourning her discovery of Vanna having been murdered by Fantisk. See also * The Gerosha Chronicles * ''Ciem'' (webcomic) * Sodality * Ciem: Vigilante Centipede * When Tobey Met Alison * Stan Flippo * Shalia Flippo * Hebbleskin Gang External links * [http://bulldozerivan.deviantart.com/gallery/48948182 The Battle for Gerosha gallery] at DeviantArt ** Grand Tour of the Triangulum ** Grand Tour of the Gerosha Cemetery * Confirmation of this article being fleshed out at The Dozerfleet Blog